Another side note - anyone know how to get the cover off of the parking brake handle? (I ask because I'm obviously lazy.) I'd like to pop off the hard silver portion of it and repaint it. The original owner apparently wore more "bling" that I do and scratched the snot out of it.

If it was a 2006, it'll just slide off with a minor amount of prodding. 2007 and later, I think it was glued on. It'll still slide off if you can brake the bond wherever it is.

Got the car back from the second dealer today. They fixed my service airbag light, but they won't do anything with the brakes. They agree that they should lock the rear wheels, but the mechanic said when he test drove it he could lock the rear wheels. The fact that you can't do it reliably is irrelevant to them. I've got 13 months left on the warranty and I'm sure the brakes will stop working again before then, so I'll just wait and take it back then. I may also make some inquiries higher up the GM food chain and see what they say. I really don't think I should have to wait for my brakes to fail completely before they fix the problem.

If you would like this issue looked into, please send a PM with your concerns, VIN#, dealership name, and your contact information. I hope your week is going well considering.

If it was a 2006, it'll just slide off with a minor amount of prodding. 2007 and later, I think it was glued on. It'll still slide off if you can brake the bond wherever it is.

Try searching the forum for an answer.

I have had mine off on my 07. There was no glue. There is one "pin" that mates to a hole in the top rear portion of the cover. If you slip a tool under the rear end of the plastic cover and pry it up while pulling forward, it will slide off.

When I pulled mine off I broke the pin but after painting. I pressed it back on 3 years ago and it has been fine.

I have had mine off on my 07. There was no glue. There is one "pin" that mates to a hole in the top rear portion of the cover. If you slip a tool under the rear end of the plastic cover and pry it up while pulling forward, it will slide off.

When I pulled mine off I broke the pin but after painting. I pressed it back on 3 years ago and it has been fine.

I'm trying to remember who told me it was glued, but your description makes a lot more sense.

Thought I'd "roll the bones" and see what it takes to adjust the rear calipers without buying a special tool. Turned out pretty sweetly. The needle nose approach was not simple but fortunately my pistons were not seized up or difficult to move. Drivers side went in about 3 turns, passengers side about 2. Pumped the brakes twice and thought it felt good. Gave it a third push and could tell it positioned "up".

Took it for a quick drive and I could tell straight away that my brakes had better grab and a check on the hill of the driveway confirmed it.

Sorry Rob, but that's not how it works. There is a self-adjusting mechanism in the rear calipers for the handbrake. As the pads wear a ratchet mechanism operates on the rear pistons, screwing them out to take up the slack. The handbrake then always has an appropriate range of play to enable it to clamp the pads against the rotors. This ratcheting-screw mechanism is why you have to rotate the pistons back in when you change to new (thicker) pads.

This is also exactly the cause of problem when the handbrake stops holding. The piston ratchet mechanism seizes, and so DOESN'T take up the slack as the pads wear, hence an increase in travel and a reduction in handbrake clamping ability like you said (due to the limited range in the lever and cable). Turning the pistons all the way back in, frees the ratcheting parts. After doing that, operating the handbrake a few times ratchets the pistons back out, takes up the slack, and returns the handbrake to 'normal' operation.

(Please note: I use the term 'ratchet' a bit loosely here. It effectively operates as a ratchet, but doesn't have a cog and gear like you might think of when you hear the term 'ratchet'. )

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